This invention relates to a device for loading automobiles into and unloading automobiles from an open-centered sleeve which is designed for carrying a plurality of automobiles and being inserted into a cargo container of the type which is provided in a variety of standardized sizes.
Shipping automobiles from the factory where they are built to their final destination often requires several different modes of transportation. Typically, automobiles are first shipped in quantity from the manufacturer to a particular city or region by boat or railcar and then are shipped to a distribution center or dealer by truck. In fact, for automobiles imported into the United States from abroad, all three modes of transportation often are used. Since the automobiles must be individually loaded and unloaded, as well as individually secured, in each mode of transportation, this procedure is expensive as it is both labor-intensive and slow. While cargo containers have long been used to ship goods in all three of these modes of transportation without the necessity of reloading the goods individually each time a change in the type of transportation occurs, only recently has a system been devised which permits automobiles to be loaded easily into such containers. This system, which is disclosed in patent application Ser. No. 040,469, filed Apr. 20, 1987 entitled SYSTEM FOR LOADING MOTOR VEHICLES INTO STANDARD CARGO-CARRYING ENCLOSURES, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,916 uses a lightweight open-centered sleeve to support two vertically-separated levels of automobiles. The automobiles are supported in the sleeve by vehicle-supporting assemblies which are hung on vertical tension members that attach to the sides of the sleeve. The sleeve and automobiles then are loaded into and out of the container as a unit.
Heretofore, a sleeve has been loaded one automobile at a time by driving an automobile into it, placing the associated vehicle-supporting assemblies under each of its wheels and then using external gantries to jack the supporting assemblies and the automobile up the tension members to the desired height in the sleeve. The supporting assemblies are then attached to the tension members. Since a sleeve can hold up to six automobiles, this system is time consuming. In addition, driving an automobile into a sleeve and opening its door when it is in the sleeve creates a possibility of damaging or scratching the paint or its sides or doors. What is needed, therefore, is a method and apparatus for loading an entire level of automobiles into a sleeve at one time without the necessity of driving them into the sleeve.
Since these sleeves allow carrying automobiles in cargo containers without the necessity of a specially designed automobile support apparatus that is affixed to the container, the sleeves have been made collapsible in order that several collapsed sleeves can be carried in a single container. Thus, the remaining containers are free to carry other cargo on the return trip. However, heretofore this advantage has not been fully realized since the sleeves are heavy and cumbersome and it is difficult to collapse them. Accordingly, it is desirable to have an apparatus which permits collapsing the sleeves easily and quickly.